By Sebastine Ebhuomhan
Following Crusoe Osagie’s latest statement dated December 27, 2024, curious, inquisitive, and interested people of Edo State would like the spokesman to answer the following questions.
Titled: LGA Chairmen Suspension: Oshiomhole and the Derail of Constitutional Democracy in Edo, Mr. Osagie laboriously and erroneously described the legal, constitutional, and apt suspension of Edo State’s 18 local council chairmen and vice chairmen for two months by the PDP-led Edo State House of Assembly, that relied on Section 20 of the Local Government Law 2000 of Edo State conferring oversight powers on the state legislators, as “extermination of constitutional democracy.”
This is in spite of being a normal temporary measure to allow for proper and unimpeded investigation of weighty allegations against the suspended officials.
Osagie was and is still the Media Adviser to the immediate past governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. As a fallout from his erroneous, anger-toned piece, the good people of Edo State would want him to answer the following simple questions on behalf of his recuperating principal.
(1) Was constitutional democracy not exterminated when your principal, ex-governor Godwin Obaseki, against all entreaties, refused to swear in 14 constitutionally and democratically elected legislators to the Edo State House of Assembly for four (4) years, thereby denying the people of those 14 consituencies representation?
(2) Was constitutional democracy not exterminated when your principal, ex-governor Godwin Obaseki, against all entreaties, refused to swear in eight (8) judges-designate constitutionally approved for Edo State Judiciary by the National Judicial Council (NJC) out of which Obaseki summarily handpicked five (5) of them about one year later and left the remaining three (3) without justification until APC-elected Governor Monday Okpebholo corrected the evil two days after his inauguration last month, one year and a half later?
(3) Was constitutional democracy not exterminated when your principal, ex-governor Godwin Obaseki, against all entreaties, insisted and carried out the impeachment of his joint ticket bearer as well as the constitutionally and democratically elected deputy governor of Edo State, Right Honourable Philip Shaibu, just to pave an unchallenged way for his godson, Dr. Asuerimen Ighodalo, to win the PDP governorship primary election ticket?
(4) Was constitutional democracy not exterminated when your principal, ex-governor Godwin Obaseki, against all entreaties, threatened and sponsored the prevention as well as the removal of deserving sons of Edo State from merited constitutionally appointed as well as democratically elected national public offices such as Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Dr. Pius Odubu, etc., owing to political differences?
(5) Was constitutional democracy not exterminated when your principal, ex-governor Godwin Obaseki, against all entreaties, withdrew, suspended, or reduced the constitutional rights and privileges of the monarch of Benin Kingdom, Oba Ewuare II, locked up the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre, started funding the privately-owned EMOWAA project with Edo State resources as against the Palace Museum that he agreed with the monarch initially, and encouraged a rebellious suit against the monarch, palace and Benin Traditional Kingdom, just because Oba Ewuare refused to let him take full control of the kingdom’s returned artefacts and accompanying largesse?
(6) Was constitutional democracy not exterminated when your principal, ex-governor Godwin Obaseki, against all entreaties, began to victimise those who were not in support of his brutal and inhuman politics, destroying, seizing, and confiscating their properties arbitrarily and without regards to judicial pronouncements?
(7) Was constitutional democracy not exterminated when your principal, ex-governor Godwin Obaseki, against all entreaties, rigged the Edo State Local Government Election of September 2023, imposed his hand-picked council chairmen and vice-chairmen from the PDP, and further threatened losers who protested by way of litigious petitions to forcefully abandon their constitutional pursuit of justice?
(8) Was constitutional democracy not exterminated when your principal, ex-governor Godwin Obaseki, against all entreaties, continued unabated to deploy dictatorial powers to suppress the masses and opposition’s popular agitations?
Edo people would be relieved, if not happy, to see these questions answered with equal care, attention and alacrity. Only then would your latest lamentation make sense or meaning to them.
Sebastine EBHUOMHAN is an award-winning journalist from Edo State. He can be reached on: usie007@yahoo.com and 08037204620.
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